A PILGRIM'S DIARY 3

than the frank publication of the actual diary of
some pilgrim, to which all the would-be adventurous
may obtain easy access. The setting-forth need not
afterwards be that plunge in the dark which it is at
present. A man may then calculate freely the time
and means at his disposal, and make such provision
as is possible to him, for the difficulties and perhaps
the dangers of his undertaking.

The one piece of advice that one would like to
give all intending travellers is the importance of
securing a good panda—as the semi-ecclesiastical
courier is called—at the beginning of the Journey-
We were lucky enough to fall in with Gopal Panda
of Kedar Nath, when we were at Hardwar, and to
take him with us, and no words can tell of his value.
He was full of energy and resource. He saw "ULS
through every difficulty, and his social influence
smoothed over many delicate matters, probably. A
panda should not be too scholarly, as in that case he
is sure to be defective in energy ; yet his fund of
local information is a great sweetener of the road.

The first impression gleaned from the pilgrimage
as a whole is a deepened sense of Indian unity.
And this is created in us, not only by the crowds of
wayfarers—from the Punjab, Maharashtra, Madras,
Malabar, the North-West Provinces, and Bengal——
whom we meet or pass, hour after hour. It is also
due to the fact that here on this northern pilgrimag-e,
the great puJan4>rahmms and mohunts are ail
Deccanis. Even the pandas, on the Badri Narayan